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Cambodian Supreme Court dissolves main opposition party

The high court verdict followed the arrest of Cambodia's opposition leader Kem Sokha in early September. Critics fear for democracy's future in the small Southeast Asian country led by Hu Sen for 30 years.

Cambodia's Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ordered the dissolution of the country's main opposition party, the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), and banned more than 100 CNRP members from political office for five years.

"The Supreme Court has decided to dissolve the Cambodia National Rescue Party and ban 118 individuals ... from doing political activities for five years starting from the day of this verdict announcement," a judge said.

The authoritarian government of Prime Minister Hun Sen had accused the CNRP of planning a coup in the Southeast Asian country.

The CNRP, which did not send any lawyers to the trial, had refuted the accusation as politically motivated. The nine-member court said the refusal to send lawyers was effectively an admission of guilt.

Hun Sen said the verdict would not stop a planned general election from taking place in 2018.